Friday, March 30, 2012

Favorite Photo Friday—Balanced Rock

These two photographs came to me separatelyand so long ago I can’t remember the
source.They both show tourists
posed in front of Balanced Rock, in the Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs,
Colorado.Both photos are 4.5 by
7.5 inches in size and mounted on cardboard backgrounds.

The photograph with the ladies (and two gentlemen)has printed on thecardboard mounting: “Balanced Rock,
Garden of the Gods.Weight, 600
tons.”But someone has written in
pencil below that “California, 1883”.The “California” part is wrong, so the date may be as well.

The second photograph-- of three men on donkeys-- has
printed in the photograph “Balanced Rock, May 8th, 1903”, so I
suspect that date is correct.The
second photograph is numbered3450
and the first one 208.

I love how serious the ladies are, standing without fear
that the huge rock would decide to topple over on them.I especially like the elderly lady
cuddling the baby donkey.The
woman perched sidesaddle in the foreground does not have a divided skirt for
riding, but someone has suggested to me that a lady in the back row does.It’s hard to tell.I love all their flowered hats as well.

The three men in the second photo all have dapper mustaches
and seem quite pleased with themselves as they pose for the photographer.

On the back of the second photo is printed “Paul Goerke & Son Photographers at the
Balanced Rock, Rainbow Falls and Manitou Ave.

Office next to Barker
Hotel.Manitou, Colorado

Duplicates of this
picture can be had at any time.Price 25 cents each postpaid.Order by the number on the picture.

Prices for Bromide
Enlargement given on Application.”

Professional photographers setting up their large cameras on tripods could
make a good living photographing tourists at sites like this in the days before
cameras and photography were available to amateurs.

Niagara Falls was especially popular with tourists and
professional photographers at the dawn of photography-- in the 1840’s and
1850’s.If you find in your attic
a full-plate daguerreotype of your great-great grandparents posed in front of
Niagara Falls on their honeymoon, you can probably sell it for a small fortune.

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A Rolling Crone

After 40 years as a journalist, I turned 60 and decided to return to my first love--painting. I’ve exhibited watercolors and photographs in Massachusetts and have a slide show of paintings below. My photo book “The Secret Life of Greek Cats” can be purchased by clicking on the cover below.
I collect way too many things, but my great passion is antique photographs, from the earliest—daguerreotypes (circa 1840) up to 1900 (cabinet cards, tintypes.) I approach each one as a mystery to solve, and in unlocking their secrets have met some fascinating historic figures. For some of the stories, check the list of “The Story Behind the Photograph”.
My husband Nick and I live in Grafton, MA and recently celebrated our 41st anniversary. We have 3 children, now amazing adults. And on Aug. 26, 2011, we greeted our first grandchild, Amalía-- world’s cutest baby. But this blog isn’t about grandparenting (although photos of the grandkid sneak in). As it says up top, it’s about travel, art, photography and life after sixty. And crone power.